Wrong place, Wrong time. By 1991, the SS Buttrock had already left port, sailing the seas in search of state fairs and potential fans who hadn't heard about the shifting cultural tides. But things move a little slower in Emond, Oklahoma, and bands like DESOLATION sometimes get abandoned by time....so sonic archaeologists get to rescue artifacts like Hand Of The Wicked from thrift store grab bags or suburban closet shoeboxes. And the reason we keep digging is....this DESOLATION is almost good. Not "good" as in "this rips, I want to listen to this all the time!" good. Rather "good" as in "oh man, poor dudes - I can envision a world where they made it" good, and "almost" as in "not quite." Leaning heavily on the anthemic ballad end of the commercial heavy metal spectrum, like a band who was actively consuming classic rock radio and absorbing all of the influences - the positive and the negative - this release (their only one?) still has moments. "Don't Scream" owes a debt to the ALICE IN CHAINS dark ballad formula, "Make 'em Pay" has a Sunset Strip Strut that would make FASTER PUSSYCAT proud, "Angel's Rage" is a flat out hard rock burner...and there are more than enough cringe worthy cuts to balance things out. Biblical themes and songs about societal conflict are present throughout, which might give the closing track "On Your Knees" a different context than other hair metal songs with similar titles.....nah, the chorus is "night time is the right time for my love" and the verse goes "oooohhh baby / honey / baby honey please / please me squeeze me, love me on your knees / I need you right now / I want you nooooowwwwww" so I guess we can skip the righteous shit.
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